KATHLEEN A. RINEHART
KATHLEEN A. RINEHART
KATHLEEN A. RINEHART
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<strong>KATHLEEN</strong> A. <strong>RINEHART</strong><br />
Higher Education Law<br />
(414) 978-5333 / krinehart@whdlaw.com<br />
EXPERIENCE PROFILE<br />
Kathleen A. Rinehart is an attorney and leads the firm’s Education Law practice, which regularly<br />
focuses on matters that affect the daily legal compliance concerns of colleges, universities and<br />
K12 schools in Wisconsin and Illinois. Ms. Rinehart’s experience and practice also encompasses<br />
the wide range of issues that affect and define the employer/employee relationship, including, for<br />
example, investigations; hiring/firing; evaluations; open meetings/public records; contract<br />
administration; labor negotiations, contract implementation and interpretation; policy<br />
development and interpretation; and dispute resolution.<br />
The effective and creative resolutions developed for our clients reflect a thorough understanding<br />
of each client’s Mission and Vision; knowledge of the manner in which the law applies to<br />
educational institutions, public and private sector clients; and a clear appreciation of the remedies<br />
that will best serve the needs of those clients.<br />
Ms. Rinehart currently serves as General Counsel to several colleges, universities and K12<br />
schools. She has been a featured speaker at local, regional and national education seminars, and<br />
served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University<br />
Attorneys (NACUA) from 2005-2008. Ms. Rinehart also has been a featured speaker at<br />
municipal, employment and human resources seminars and in-services. She currently also is<br />
completing a post-graduate degree in dispute resolution, and will be teaching the course, Dispute<br />
Resolution in Education, in Marquette University's graduate program in Dispute Resolution. A<br />
focus of Ms. Rinehart's work as a professional practitioner in dispute resolution is the design of<br />
effective dispute resolution systems for use in higher education and the workplace; conflict<br />
coaching for campus and corporate leaders, and the effective management of conflict during pretenure<br />
review. Ms. Rinehart’s law practice was preceded by a career as an educator and Master<br />
Teacher at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, and as law clerk to Wisconsin Supreme<br />
Court Justice (Ret.) Janine P. Geske.<br />
On a daily basis, Ms. Rinehart, and the other dedicated attorneys who support this practice,<br />
provide counsel, seminars and legal in-services regarding such education and business–related<br />
issues as:
<strong>KATHLEEN</strong> A. <strong>RINEHART</strong>, continued<br />
Experience Profile, continued<br />
• Academic program closure<br />
• Campus governance and Trustee issues<br />
• Collective bargaining, contract implementation and interpretation<br />
• Compliance with federal legislation, such as ADA, FMLA, HIPAA, Title IX, Title VII and<br />
the ADEA<br />
• Construction, real estate and environmental law<br />
• Contract administration<br />
• Contracts and performance<br />
• Copyright and fair use<br />
• Dispute resolution<br />
• Effective risk management<br />
• Effective supervision, hiring/firing, evaluation<br />
• Employee hiring, performance, evaluation, discipline and separation<br />
• Faculty reappointment, tenure and promotion<br />
• First Amendment rights of students, faculty and staff<br />
• Intellectual property rights<br />
• Investigation and preparation of responses to discrimination and harassment complaints, filing<br />
of position statements with state and federal agencies<br />
• Open Meetings, Public Records
<strong>KATHLEEN</strong> A. <strong>RINEHART</strong>, continued<br />
Experience Profile, continued<br />
• Privacy rights, student records and FERPA<br />
• School finance<br />
• Shared governance<br />
• Student access to programs, discipline and due process<br />
• Succession planning, executive compensation, institutional audits and legal compliance<br />
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE<br />
Education<br />
• Marquette University, Master's/Dispute Resolution (in process)<br />
• Marquette University Law School, J.D.<br />
• University of Chicago, M.A.T. in History<br />
• Marquette University, B.A.<br />
Admissions<br />
• State Bar of Wisconsin<br />
• U.S. Court of Federal Claims<br />
• U.S. District Court, Eastern & Western Districts of Wisconsin<br />
• U.S. Supreme Court<br />
Professional Associations<br />
• American Bar Association<br />
• National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA): Member, Board of<br />
Directors (2005-2008)<br />
• State Bar of Wisconsin: Member, Board of Directors, Dispute Resolution Section (2008-<br />
2011), Chair (2010-2011)<br />
• United Educators: Legal Advisory Committee (2008-2011)<br />
• Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, Inc.<br />
Articles and Presentations<br />
• Best Practices in Hiring and Evaluation, The Council of Independent Colleges 2011<br />
Workshops for Department and Division Chairs (April 2011)<br />
• HR Responses to Difficult Economic Times, NACUA CLE Workshop (March 2011)<br />
• Using Dispute Resolution to Enhance One's Leadership Skills, Cardinal Stritch University<br />
Leadership Center African-American Leadership Program (March 2011)
<strong>KATHLEEN</strong> A. <strong>RINEHART</strong>, continued<br />
Articles and Presentations, continued<br />
• Managing Toxic Campus Conduct: Legal and Strategic Imperatives, Magna Online<br />
Seminar (January 2011)<br />
• Dispute Resolution Tools in Academe: Effective Tools to Manage Campus Conflict,<br />
Valencia Community College Conference on Legal Issues (January 2011)<br />
• Supervisory Best Practices: Concepts and Checklists, Valencia Community College<br />
Conference on Legal Issues (January 2011)<br />
• Cyberbullying: How Do We Protect Our Staff, Wisconsin Association of School<br />
Personnel Administrators (November 2010)<br />
• The Importance of Strong Relationships When Dealing With Sticky Personnel Issues,<br />
Wisconsin Association of Personnel Administrators (November 2010)<br />
• Managing Difficult Employees in a Troubled and Very Wired World, Michigan<br />
Universities Self-Insurance Corporation Risk Manager/General Counsel Annual<br />
Workshop (October 2010)<br />
• Toxic Employees in the Workplace: Managing Your "Frien-emies", NACUA Virtual<br />
Seminar (September 2010)<br />
• Developments in Employment Law: Social Media, New ADA Regulations and Pay Equity,<br />
United Educators Telephone Roundtable (September 2010)<br />
• Employee Separations: Best Practices to Ensure Legal Compliance, NACUA Online<br />
Course (July 2010)<br />
• Surviving an ADA Accessibility Audit: Best Practices for Policy Development, NACUA<br />
50th Annual Conference (June 2010)<br />
• Toxic Employees in the Workplace: Managing Your "Frien-emies", NACUA 50th<br />
Annual Conference (June 2010)<br />
• Managing Multiple Roles and Responsibilities, 2010 Council of Independent Colleges<br />
Workshops for Department and Division Chairs (June 2010)<br />
• Trends in Dispute Resolution Today and the Impact of the Changing Economy on the<br />
ADR Profession: Discussion of Dispute Resolution from Multiple Perspectives,<br />
Wisconsin Association of Mediators Emerging Issues in Dispute Resolution Conference<br />
(April 2010)<br />
• Furloughs: The New Normal to Address Economic Challenges on Campus,<br />
NACUANOTE (March 2010)<br />
• Dispute Resolution Tools to Manage and Resolve Conflict Between High Stakes<br />
Employees, WHD Corporate Counsel Forum Series (February 2010)<br />
• Human Resources Compliance Obligations, Part II: The Top Five in Non-EEO<br />
Compliance, NACUA Compliance CLE (November 2009)<br />
• Preventive Law for Challenging Times and Legal Fundamentals for Campus Leaders,<br />
Council of Independent Colleges 37th Annual Institute for Chief Academic Officers
<strong>KATHLEEN</strong> A. <strong>RINEHART</strong>, continued<br />
Articles and Presentations, continued<br />
(November 2009)<br />
• Meet the Faculty: Key Concepts and Concerns, NACUA 49th Annual Conference (June<br />
2009)<br />
• Issues Affecting Outside Counsel to Colleges & Universities, NACUA 49th Annual<br />
Conference (June 2009)<br />
• "I Feel Your Pain...": Reductions in Force and Furloughs – Effective Planning and<br />
Implementation, NACUA 49th Annual Conference (June 2009)<br />
• Mediation as a Viable Means to Resolve Retaliation Claims, State Bar of Wisconsin<br />
Annual Convention (May 2009)<br />
• The Anatomy of a Tenure Denial Claim: How Did We Get Here, Can We Win, and What<br />
Can We Do to Ensure This Does Not Happen Again, NACUA CLE Workshop (March<br />
2009)<br />
• Tried and True Approaches to Settlement and Severance Agreements, NACUA 48th<br />
Annual Conference (June 2008)<br />
• Issues Affecting Outside Counsel to Colleges & Universities, NACUA 48th Annual<br />
Conference (June 2008)<br />
• Dispute Resolution Tools to Address Conflict Between "High Stakes" Employees, Pacific<br />
Currents: Sound Perspectives on ADR Conference for the American Bar Association<br />
(April 2008)<br />
• This Too Shall Pass... Best Practices and Effective Dispute Resolution Tools to Manage<br />
Faculty and Departmental Conflict, NACUA Employment Law on Campus: Compliance,<br />
Conflict, Change and Challenges for College Counsel Program (March 2008)<br />
• The Changing Landscape of Tenure: How to Effectively Manage the Current Challenges<br />
Posed to Your Institution, ACE/N.A.P.A.H.E. Conference (February 2008)<br />
• Higher Education's 9/11: Crisis Management – Lessons From the Tragedy at Virginia<br />
Tech, University Business (December 2007)<br />
• Institutionalizing ADR Principles in the Academic and Work Cultures of Universities, 7th<br />
Annual ACR Conference (October 2007)<br />
• The Nutty Professor: Faculty Issues of Mental Health and Mental Illness, NACUA 47th<br />
Annual Conference (June 2007)<br />
• Outside Legal Counsel as In-House Counsel – An attorney offers some strategic ideas for<br />
institutions that don't have in-house legal counsel, University Business (May 2007)<br />
• Don't "Break the Bank" – Best Practices in the Workplace to Preserve the Employer's<br />
Assets, WHD Human Resources Law Seminar (October 2006)<br />
• Effective Risk Management for the 2006-2007 Academic Year – A Counsel's Perspective,<br />
WAICU Risk Management Workshop (August 2006)
<strong>KATHLEEN</strong> A. <strong>RINEHART</strong>, continued<br />
Articles and Presentations, continued<br />
• Are You Looking At Me Building a Functional and Effective Relationship With Your<br />
Board, NACUA 46th Annual Conference (June 2006)<br />
Teaching Positions<br />
• Adjunct Faculty: "American Law and the Educational Institution," Marquette University,<br />
Graduate School of Education<br />
• Lecturer: "Dispute Resolution in Education," Marquette University, Graduate School of<br />
Professional Studies